A not guilty plea to two drug charges was entered in Scott Circuit Court on Thursday morning, May 1, for a man whose alleged, suspicious actions at a Scottsburg veterinary clinic on April 30 called him to others’ attention.

Bradley Junior Amburgey, 32, Austin, was noticed by employees of the veterinary clinic on U.S. Highway 31 just south of Scottsburg High School on Wednesday afternoon, April 30. Staff told a Scottsburg police officer and a trooper with the Indiana State Police (ISP) that Amburgey had entered the restroom of the clinic and stayed there for what was described as a “...lengthy time period,” later explained as 30 minutes, in an ISP news release.

Amburgey and two women had brought an injured dog to the clinic. He apparently entered the restroom shortly after arriving.

When Amburgey finally exited the restroom, an employee reportedly found a yellow powdery substance on the facility’s sink and floor. Police were called to the clinic and questioned Amburgey after he came out of one of the clinic’s examining rooms, where the injured animal had been taken.

Amburgey had a distinctive yellow power on his face when he was questioned by Scottsburg Assistant Chief Richey Barton and ISP Trooper Tracy Spencer. He was also found to have a prescription bottle on his person. The prescription was not in his name but rather belonged to a relative. The bottle contained seven yellow tablets identified as Hydrocodone, a Schedule 3 controlled substance.

Amburgey was placed under arrest without incident and transported to the local jail. When the woman whose name was on the prescription bottle was contacted, she said she did not know Amburgey had the pills, Trp. Spencer related.

The woman said there should have been 20 tablets in the bottle.

At his initial hearing on May 1, the preliminary not guilty plea was entered for Amburgey on charges of possession of a Schedule 1, 2 or 3 controlled substance within 1,000 feet of a school, a Class C felony, and theft, a Class D felony. The theft charge was based on Amburgey allegedly stealing the prescription from the woman.

Amburgey’s jury trial on the charges is scheduled for September 9 in Circuit Court. His bail is set at $40,000 corporate surety bond or $10,000 full cash.